The Cave

by JoseSaramago (Author), Margaret Jull Costa (Translator)

• Used

  Paperback
  2002

  $6.60

  Cipriano Algor, an ageing potter, lives with his daughter in the shadow of the Centre, a nebulous megaplex that provides his livelihood - until it haughtily decrees it is no longer interested in his humble wares. In despair, he goes to visit his wife's grave, encountering there a widowed neighbour, Isaura. But his daughter is not ready to give up on him yet. Together, hopefully, father and daughter craft a new line of small ceramic figurines; to their astonishment, the Centre orders vast quantities. But once the figures are complete, the Centre backtracks: there is no market for them. Defeated once again, he returns to his village, where Isaura awaits him.

• New

  Paperback
  2003

  $11.55

  Cipriano Algor, an ageing potter, lives with his daughter and her husband in the shadow of the Centre, a nebulous, constantly expanding conglomerate that provides his livelihood - until it decrees that it is no longer interested in his humble wares. Together with his daughter, they craft a new line of small ceramic figurines and, to their bafflement, the Centre orders vast quantities. But once the figures are complete, the Centre recants: there is no market for them. Resigned to idleness Cipriano moves into the soulless megaplex, until late one night he comes across a horrifying secret in the bowels of the artificial city. The Cave is a harrowing, joyful masterpiece: an Orwellian nightmare, a family fable and an uplifting love story.